


Just Dessert

by Zhie



Series: A Dash of Romance [2]
Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-04
Updated: 2017-02-04
Packaged: 2018-09-21 22:34:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9569705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zhie/pseuds/Zhie
Summary: Glorfindel moves into the household in a more permanent fashion.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [keiliss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/keiliss/gifts).



No snow dared to fall until after the little house had been rearranged to accommodate the newcomer. Elrohir had been kind enough to suggest that he and Elladan could resume cohabitation in order to allow Glorfindel a space in the house that was his own. Several times Glorfindel declined, but once the minds of peredhel are set, Glorfindel realized that they were not easily swayed. He arrived back at the little house one afternoon for a 'housewarming' party, which included a tour of his own room, the closet, the washroom, the balcony, and the hallway. The balcony was shared with another room, which he soon learned to be the room that the brothers would share again. "The governess used to live in the other room," explained Elrohir. "When she married, we were already old enough to stay on our own for short periods, so Ada never found another. Arwen is still too little to leave Nana. Besides, I think Nana really enjoys spending the time here at the house with Arwen."

Elladan agreed with the assessment as he, his brother, and Glorfindel stood on the balcony and lazily watched the geese migrating overhead in the haze of the early winter sky. "Nana was still active on father's council when we were young. She had been the diplomat from Lothlorien for some years after the war, before she and Ada married. She continued in some capacity until just before Arwen's birth."

"She feels bad that she did not spend as much time with us as she could have. She tries to make it up with Arwen," Elrohir explained. 

"I think it was important for her to continue her work even after she had children," said Elladan. "When we were really little, not that either of us recall it, she used to nurse us right at the council meetings when they ran late. I always thought that was pretty bold."

"Pretty awesome. Nana's rough and tough, she is." Elrohir straightened his back and waved his hand at someone, and his companions looked to see what caught his eye. "Hey, ho, Uncle!"

Erestor raised his arm in greeting. "It seems a bit late in the year for stories and songs on the porch." He was wearing a thick hooded robe of grey wool and soft leather boots that matched. There was shadow upon him from the house and the evening coming early, but his green eyes gleamed brightly.

"No tales tonight, Uncle," Elladan promised. "Glorfindel has joined us upstairs."

"Has he? You accomplished that quick. I suppose you will not need help moving anything, then." Both of Elrond’s sons shook their heads, and Erestor pushed back his hood and ran a hand through his hair. "Perhaps after I finish revising my lesson plans for the week, I could stop up and visit." Erestor lifted his hand again for a moment before he went into the house.

Glorfindel waited until he heard the sound of the door closing behind Erestor before he spoke again. "When he says 'stop up and visit'... I thought he had a room up here, too."

"Oh, no. Originally the servant's quarters were downstairs, but Nana disliked having another lady around cleaning up. She felt she could do well enough without a maid, so, we have to wash our own dishes," bemoaned Elrohir jokingly. "Erestor lives in the room down there."

“I smell supper.” Elladan clasped Glorfindel’s shoulder. “See you soon, neighbor!”

Elrohir followed his brother back into their room. Glorfindel almost went through the same door, but remembered his room and went to the other door instead. 

The room was of a good size; Glorfindel was surprised at how big it felt when he thought back to Gondolin. Long ago, he had acres of land under his charge, thousands of citizens under his rule. Gondolin was like a dozen little united kingdoms, and the lords were akin to royalty there. Glorfindel’s house had been a palace, and his own bedchamber, he had no doubt, was the size of an entire floor of the house that Elrond lived in with his family, and then some.

Yet, here, in the comfort of the four walls, in the room that held a bed, dresser, nightstand, and simple wooden chair, he felt an ease he had not experienced since he had lived in Valinor before the great migration. 

One of the walls was painted, and on it a large flowering tree was depicted. In the tree and flying around it were dozens of songbirds native to the valley. They were so lifelike that Glorfindel thought they might fly right out at him and land on the bedpost. There were fresh linens on the bed, and a thick blanket filled with down, dyed royal blue with golden embroidery. His hand ran along the edge, barely noticing the frayed threads or the ink stain on the bottom corner. It had been gifted to him, and he smiled at that. 

He lifted the corner to feel it, to smell it. He found he did that often. It was almost an affirmation of his existence in the physical world, to test his senses whenever no one was looking. Glorfindel pressed the fabric to his nose and breathed in deeply. There was a strange yet inviting scent to it; there was lavender from the soap used to launder it, but there was something else there as well.

“Supper!” called a voice from the lower level, and Glorfindel left the room – his room – and traveled down to the kitchen to join the rest of the family. When Celebrian started to pass around the basket of bread, Glorfindel furrowed his brow and looked around for someone to occupy the empty seat.

“Uncle Erster has to work mowre,” said Arwen, as if she could read Glorfindel’s thoughts.

“Yes, Uncle Erestor is very busy,” confirmed Celebrian. “In fact, Elrohir, would you mind taking your uncle a plate of food?”

“I can do it,” offered Glorfindel a bit eagerly. 

It seemed the undertone went unnoticed by Celebrian. “Oh, no, Glorfindel, you are our guest! Elladan helped prepare the vegetables for supper, so Elrohir can certainly take food to Erestor.”

Elrond, on the other hand, simply misinterpreted it. “If you should like to take on a task, we can always use a trained warrior in the barracks. Many of our best captains fell during the war, and I believe there would be much you could teach our soldiers and guards.”

Glorfindel considered the invitation as he helped Arwen scoop peas a few at a time onto her plate by holding the bowl at an angle for her. “I would like to visit the barracks first, and speak to the officers you currently have. I think it is important to work to improve the current training, and not to seem as if I am going to take over.” His gaze followed Elrohir as he watched him carry a plate from the table and out of the room. Elrond said something about introducing him to the captains the next day, but Glorfindel hardly caught the details. He listened and counted the steps he heard as Elrohir walked down the hallway and finally knocked on a door.

When Elrohir returned, Glorfindel listened intently to everything he said, just in case there was the slightest mention of Erestor. By the end of the meal, he realized just how badly he’d been bitten by the love bug when he made the excuse that he had thought he had seen a mouse in the hallway in order to trace back Elrohir’s steps to find the door.

There were lamps burning in the room from the light under the door, but Glorfindel did not dare knock, did not dare breathe, as he stood outside for just a moment. Shortly thereafter, he retreated back down the hall to report back his findings, and that it had likely been a shadow.

 

It was past midnight when Glorfindel woke. He thought he had heard a knock on his door, but it was so faint that he listened with uncertainty. Then, just as faintly, there was the sound of something being set upon the floor. He shoved off the blankets and rushed to the door. When he yanked the door open, all he found on the other side of the door was a vase with paper flowers in it.

His first thought was that Arwen had paid him a visit, but when he lifted the vase he could tell that the craft was well mastered. The flower petals were rolled back, and the centers were adorned with tiny pearls and gems. Glorfindel found a note on the floor, tucked under the vase. He picked it up and unfolded it after he set the vase on the nightstand.

_I am terribly sorry if I kept you waiting tonight. Two of my pupils are falling behind in their studies and I needed to revise my plans for the next two weeks. Please accept this as a token of apology; I hope it will brighten your morning. –Eres_

 

Glorfindel grinned foolishly at the note before he set it beside the vase. He put quickly put on a robe and crept down the hallway. From where he stood at the top of the stairs, he heard the sound of a door closing. Now he raced down the steps, lest he reach Erestor’s door after he went to bed.

Unexpectedly, Glorfindel found Erestor sitting in the parlor when he reached the bottom of the stairs. “Sorry, I did not mean to wake you,” apologized Erestor. He was on the sofa previously used by Glorfindel as a bed. He held a small plate of white chocolate, cranberries dipped in dark chocolate, and soft cheese. It was resting on one knee, while a book sat unopened in his lap. The dog was at his feet, on his back with three of his four paws in the air.

“I was not really asleep,” lied Glorfindel.

Erestor held up the plate. “Hungry?”

Glorfindel wanted to say yes, and take the plate away. Then he wanted to straddle Erestor, and taste the chocolate on his tongue. He wanted to test all of his senses, and feel more alive than he had in two lives. Instead, he shook his head.

“Are you sure? It comes from Gondor. They make the best chocolate there.” Erestor held the plate out further, and Glorfindel selected one of the smaller pieces from it. “If you want more, help yourself.” Erestor moved his legs to give Glorfindel room on the sofa, and after pretending to look for a place to sit, Glorfindel settled down on the other end of the sofa.

“This is good,” he admitted after he ate the chocolate. Erestor lifted the plate, and Glorfindel took another piece. “Thank you for the flowers. They are really lovely.”

“I feel terrible that I did not make it up to see you. The boys were especially excited about all of it.” Erestor sighed loudly. “I have a full schedule tomorrow, but I would like to make it up to all of you the day after.”

“No worries. I am sure they understand.”

Erestor cleared his throat, harkening an obvious subject chance. “Elrond told me that you might join the army here.”

“Is that a bad thing?” worried Glorfindel.

Erestor shrugged as he picked at the items on the plate. “I just thought you were still interested in learning a bit of modern history. I am not sure if you will have time for both.”

“Oh! Yes - I still want to see you! About the... history things.” Glorfindel stuttered. “I can manage all of it,” he said. “Anything I do with the warriors will not take up the majority of my day. I do want to learn. I- I- I hope you are still willing to teach me.”

“Of course.” Erestor yawned. “Sorry, I am quite tired. I really should have phrased that better. I will be able to make time for your lessons beginning next week.” He looked at the remaining morsels on his plate and held them out to Glorfindel. “I forget how rich these are. I took far too much. Here; you have them.”

“Maybe just one more.” Glorfindel picked up a piece of cheese just as Erestor shifted. He felt Erestor’s hip make contact with him for a brief moment of readjustment as the plate was set on a table, and Glorfindel lingered on that moment. It was the first time he had been touched since his return, beyond handshakes and pats on the back, and he longed for the closeness. Gondolin had been full of people. It led to a close camaraderie between friends and acquaintances that would seem too familiar to those who had not experienced the close quarters of an isolated realm. He almost tried to move to recreate the moment, but Erestor pardoned himself for it, and Glorfindel merely smiled and ate his cheese.

“I hope the blanket I sent up fit the bed.”

In that instant, it hit Glorfindel. The scent on the bed was the same as what he smelled near to him now. “Yes! It did,” Glorfindel added, trying to recover casually. “It is very nice. Really cozy. I did not know that came from you. Thank you. I appreciate it.”

Erestor smiled. “I have a stockpile of bedding. Some nights in winter, when the chill settles all around, I have been known to have several layer of blankets, both over and under me.” 

Glorfindel chuckled. “That actually sounds lovely.”

“Celebrian thinks it is ridiculous; I threatened to start bringing people home for the sole purpose of warming the bed for me. She left it alone after that.” Erestor yawned and rubbed at his sleepy, watering eyes. “I fear I will not be pleasant company for much longer.”

Glorfindel stood up. “Would you like me to take that to the kitchen for you?” he asked of the abandoned plate.

“If it would not be much trouble, I would appreciate it. Thank you.” Erestor yawned again.

Seeing an opportunity for further contact, Glorfindel held out a hand to help Erestor stand up. He was overjoyed when Erestor took hold of his upper arm with one hand and grasped his hand with the other. Once standing, he thanked Glorfindel again. “Oh, ah, I suppose it would help if you knew where I lived in the house,” decided Erestor, his voice sounding spur of the moment, but the words sounding practiced. Glorfindel delightedly nodded, hoped that the truth was that Erestor, too, felt the stirrings of an attraction, and had gone over the sentence in his head several times before saying it. Glorfindel was certain there had to be something, else why was Erestor still holding his hand, leading him to his bedroom?

“Right here. My room is right next to the back entrance. If the door is open, feel free to enter. If the door is closed and a light is on, feel free to knock. Otherwise, I am either out or asleep, and no good shall come of knocking in either case.”

Glorfindel nodded. He would go over the words again in his head and always be sure to follow the directions carefully, lest he be banned from knocking at all. However, at the moment, he found he was entranced by Erestor’s green eyes. He could not decide if they were closer to sage or moss, but either way, if Erestor’s great-grandmother’s eyes were half as intriguing, he could understand why someone would want to stare into them indefinitely. “Why do you not stay upstairs with the rest of the family?” asked Glorfindel in an attempt to prolong the moment as long as possible.

“I used to, before Arwen was born. Her room was my room. When she was born, the maid had long since moved out. It made more sense to put the nursery upstairs. I actually like the room down here,” admitted Erestor. “It lets me come and go as I please. It can get chilly, but I like the privacy. I keep odd hours, too, so this way I do not disturb anyone upstairs.”

Erestor’s fingers slipped away from Glorfindel’s hand so that he could open the door, and the little dog shuffled past and into the room, where he leaped onto the end of the bed. “G’night, Glorfindel.”

“Good night… do you prefer Erestor or Eres?” Glorfindel asked as he recalled the note. 

Erestor rotated the doorknob back and forth with two fingers as he contemplated. “You can call me Eres if you want to,” he said.

Glorfindel smiled. “Good night, Eres.”

Erestor smiled back before he shut the door. Glorfindel sighed – and several minutes later, realized he was still standing outside of the door. He sheepishly returned to the parlor to retrieve the plate, which he took up to his room. There, he lit a candle after the door was shut. He sat down with the vase of flowers and examined each one individually. Glorfindel wondered if these were something that Erestor had made before, or if they had been in the works, or if he had just crafted them very quickly. He began to consider a suitable gift to give back to Erestor, but crafting had never been Glorfindel’s strong suit. As evening wore on, Glorfindel decided he had ample time to contemplate what he should do, but sleep was imminent.

The bed had been comfortable before, but now that he knew where the blue blanket came from, it was inviting. Glorfindel swaddled himself in the downy comforter, smiled at the faint scent on the cloth, and fell fast asleep.


End file.
